DigiLocker users can now store health records and link them with their Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), announced the National Health Authority (NHA) on Thursday.

The NHA, under Union ministry of health and family welfare, is the nodal agency designated to implement Narendra Modi government’s flagship Ayushman Bharat initiative as part of National Health Policy 2017, in order to achieve the vision of Universal Health Coverage.

“DigiLocker, the authentic documents exchange platform under the ministry of electronics and Information technology, has successfully completed its second-level of integration with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM). The secure cloud-based storage platform of DigiLocker can be used now as a health locker for storing and accessing health records such as vaccination records, doctor prescriptions, lab reports, hospital discharge summaries etc,” said the health ministry in a statement.

After level 1 integration of the DigiLocker with ABDM, a facility was introduced to create ABHA for its 130 million users. The latest integration will now enable users to utilize the DigiLocker as a Personal Health Records (PHR) app.

In addition to this, ABHA holders can also link their health records from different ABDM registered health facilities like hospitals and labs and access them via the DigiLocker. Users can also scan and upload their old health records on the app and can also share selected records with ABDM-registered healthcare professionals, according to the statement.

“Under the ABDM, we are building an inter-operable health ecosystem. The different applications from both the public and private sectors partners integrating with ABDM are helping expand the reach of the scheme to more users and adding more functionalities,” said RS Sharma, chief executive of the NHA.

“DigiLocker is a trusted and popular app to access authentic documents. Therefore, it is a significant development as users would now get to use it as a PHR app and get the benefits of paperless record keeping,” he added while highlighting the advantage this integration has for the users.

Speaking about the integration, Abhishek Singh, managing editor and chief executive, Digital India Corporation, said, “We are proud to extend the benefits of ABDM to our 130 million registered users. The platform has already helped generate close to 85 thousand ABHA numbers. With the health locker integration, we’re positive that more people would be able to easily link and manage their health records digitally. DigiLocker aims to be the preferred health locker for ABHA users.”

The health locker services are now available to all registered users of DigiLocker, said health ministry.